Helga's Tower
by aubzdall
Summary: After the death of Helga's parents, she's forced to move in with her wealthy grandmother. However, Helga's grandmother is hellbent on making Helga a proper young woman, rather than the stubborn and headstrong tomboy she is by locking her away. All Helga wants to do is be free, and with the help of Cecile, she may have a chance yet. May get to rated M if I go nuts
1. Chapter 1

Helga probably should have been more upset as she was. She was just glad that she wasn't going to be living with Olga. That probably would have been more than she could handle. And her grandmother, though Helga rarely saw her, lived close enough that she could still see her friends (or _friend_ more like) after school and on the weekend.

It was hard to believe that Helga was taking her parents' death so well. They never really noticed her anyway. Not that anyone ever really did. She carried the last of her boxes down the steps of her house, only to collide with an unknown force, sending her last box of books flying. She shook her head and rubbed her neck.

"Gosh, watch it." She snapped, not bothering to look at the person she'd run into.

"Sorry Helga." Arnold said, climbing on his feet and reaching down to help her up.

He was surprised when she actually accepted his help before bending over to pick up the books that had scattered all over the sidewalk. "Don't worry about it, football head."

He kneeled down to help her collect the scattered books, impressed with what he saw of her library. Little Women, The Jungle, The Art of War, A Picture Of Dorian Gray, and many more. All of them were worn out with bent spines and pages almost falling out. "I never realized you liked reading so much." Arnold mentioned as he helped her put books back in the cardboard box.

"Well I got news for ya, hairboy, there's a lot of things you don't know about me." she said as she held a pair of books apart, giving Arnold a place to put the pile of books he'd gathered.

"Really? Like what?" Arnold challenged playfully.

"I am Russian spy." She replied with a thick Russian accent that had Arnold doubled over laughing.

"Well everything makes sense now." Arnold chuckled.

Helga smirked and shook her head, slipping the last book into its place. Before she could lift it, Arnold had it in his arms. She opened the back door of her car, a rundown purple Plymouth. She actually loved her car. It was the only thing her parents had given her before they'd died. Arnold shut the door after managing to slip the books into a tight place.

"Thanks." Helga said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Arnold shrugged. "Don't mention it…are you ok?"

Helga shrugged as well, "I'm just peachy, why do you ask?"

"Well…your parents did just…well, you know." Arnold answered nervously.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered, almost too quickly. "We were never really even a family anyway so it's not like I'm missing much." Helga's body tensed as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and rolled her eyes. "And the old crone is calling." She sneered at the phone.

Arnold raised an eyebrow at her, "Who?"

"No one important. Welp, I better get going. See ya." She walked around to driver's side of her car and watched as Arnold walked away. She was sixteen now. Far from the lovesick nine year old girl that kept shrines of him in her closet. Still, there was that unyielding desire she had to be his, and for him to be hers. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she watched him walk away, hands in his pockets and head hanging.

Before she knew what had happened, she had sprinted the distance between them and embraced him firmly from behind, burying her face in his shoulder blades. "I'll miss you, football head." she said softly before releasing him and rushing back to her car, starting the engine and peeling into the street, wiping tear from her eyes and refusing to look in the rearview mirror.

Though if she had she would have seen him staring after her, looking sullen and distressed. He waved weakly at the back of her car before he continued his walk to the boarding house.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Helga arrived at her grandmother's house, a big place just outside the city. There was no point in sugar coating it. Helga's grandma was rich. She'd cut Miriam off when she decided to marry Bob, much to Bob's dismay. The butler, a man named Miles, quickly came out to assist her with unpacking.

At least the butler was fun. Always quick with a joke, witty, sarcastic. He was like an older, passive and British version of her, dark hair aside. Helga was surprised when he showed her to her room. It was at least three times as big as her room back home had been, but it was a little soft for her taste.

Miles began helping her put her library on the bookshelf and he made a joke about at least one of Helga's three cases of books to contain nothing but Night Light and Helga gagged. Night Light was a ridiculous book that was poorly written, had a droll story line, and centered around a klutzy girl named Stella that falls in love with a vampire named Edgar, who reads minds and sparkles in the sunlight. Helga had read the first book of the series, simply to get her friend Phoebe to shut up about it, and she'd spent the few hours it took to finish it either writhing in pain or laughing at how ludicrous it was.

Helga and Miles were nearly done when Helga's grandmother entered, a young woman with dark hair and hazel eyes over a pale complexion following close behind. Grandma Millie looked just like Helga remembered her from years ago, silver hair over deep wrinkles, yet she was still refined and proper as ever. Helga cringed at the sight of the skinned winter fox wrapped around her grandma's shoulder's but she managed to turn it into a smile.

Millie widened her arms and strutted towards Helga, taking the teenager into her arms. Helga almost choked on the scent of mothballs and fancy French perfume. "Oh my dear grandchild, left alone in the world with only me to care for her.

Helga hadn't seen her grandmother since she was a child, but the strong disliking for the woman's overbearingly 'proper' way of acting, speaking, dressing, and all-over _being_ was enough to drive Helga bonkers. "Yep, just me. I'm fine though, really. Ready to start at my new school tomorrow." Helga tried sounding optimistic, despite the fact that she wasn't looking forward to the new school at all. She'd be new and all alone and it was no easy task for Helga to open up to new people. She foresaw the rest of her high school days hidden in the corner listening to music and writing poetry as a social outcast. If she developed a breathing problem she'd be a female version of Brainy.

Millie laughed lightly, "Oh no, dear. I'd almost forgotten. This is Julia." Millie motioned to the young woman in the doorway, who curtsied politely. "She'll be your governess."

Helga's eyes went wide and her heart almost stopped. "G-g-governess?" She finally managed to spit out.

"Yes, dear. Your governess." Millie answered

"But governesses haven't been around since like…the eighteen-hundreds!" Helga argued. Her parents were dead, she'd been ripped away from her friends, and now _this_? Homeschooling?

Millie's eyes narrowed. "Young lady, I grew up with a governess."

"At least she's got the timeframe right." Miles stated as he dusted Helga's already spotless nightstand.

Millie turned and glared at Miles. "Why have I kept you around all these years?" She snarled at the butler.

Miles shrugged innocently. "I honestly don't know, madame."

Helga would have normally found Miles' comment humorous, but she was too concerned with digesting the idea of home schooling. Helga didn't know her grandmother very well, but it wouldn't have surprised her in the slightest if Helga were to be cooped up in her grandmother's giant house until college.

Her spirits sank and she peered out the window, toying with the end of one of her pigtails, which hung low on her shoulders rather than being placed higher on her head like they had been when she was back in PS 118.

"I'm in hell." She whispered to herself, clenching her hands into fists and resisting the urge to break her window.

**So I got the idea of this story from the Cinderhelga fanfic by iKarexx, kinda. If you haven't read that one then give it a whirl, I loved it. Anyway, I knew it would be dumb of me to try making another Cinderella is Helga fanfic, but then I watched Tangled (I'm a Disney kid…grown up…you can still be a kid at 21) and I got the idea to sort of combine the stories in my own little way. (for those of you following my other story, this is the one Ryan may appear in depending on if people want her or not.) By the way, sorry it's kinda short. Let me know what you guys think!**


	2. Chapter 2

Helga had been living with her grandmother for at least a month now. As far as her academic studies went, she was soaring beyond her years, completing work meant for seniors rather than the sophomore she was.

However, every night when it was time for grandma Millie to begin Helga's 'finishing' classes, all hell broke loose. Helga could have easily memorized which fork went where, how to hold her hand with which knife, the proper way to dress, act, walk, and talk. It all just seemed like a massive waste of time. Millie had plucked Helga's eyebrows into the thin and elegant brows Helga never wasted her time for. Her hair was constantly curled into waves down her shoulders.

She hated it. She wasn't girly. She wasn't proper. She would have rather been writing poetry and playing baseball with her friends. She couldn't even sit at the table correctly…apparently. It was irritating that she couldn't even sit at the table without being tied back to 'train her how to sit upright'.

"Well, Helga, darling, I have some exciting news for you." Millie mused at the breakfast table.

"You're going to let me go into the city?" Helga asked hopefully. She'd been trying to get her grandmother to allow her a daytrip out of the house since the day after she arrived.

Millie laughed lightly. "No, dear. My dear friend's son, Lord Edward, is coming into town and he'll be staying here with us for some time with his daughter."

Helga tried to keep the cringe off her face, but she was unsuccessful. "That's great." _Just what I need, more stiffs. As if I don't want to throw myself out of my window every night as it is._ She thought to herself.

Millie smiled, "Indeed. Who knows, perhaps Ryan will rub off on you a bit. You two will be the best of friends before you know it."

Helga raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said this Lord guy was bringing his daughter." she answered, almost defiant in her casual use of words.

Millie's nose wrinkled. "Lord Edward, dear. And Ryan is his daughter. There was some unfortunate misunderstandings when it came to her gender and they'd had the birth certificate made before she came into the world."

Helga sighed. "Sounds great, grandma."

"Grandmother, dear." Millie reminded Helga gently.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

For someone flying first class, the young Lady Ryan Alexander Jane looked rather dismal, scowling out the window, slouching into the back of her seat, arms crossed over her chest. She scratched at the tweed dress suit she wore as her father mused over the plane's food on her left. She'd always hoped to visit America some day, but what was the point in visiting when she wouldn't be able to do anything? She wanted to go to America, play baseball, eat deep fried and unhealthy food, chug soda, go to concerts, and do things that people often took for advantage.

"Why don't you work on your needlepoint?" Ryan's father recommended gently before sipping on his champagne.

Ryan's glare turned onto her father. "Because I hate needlepoint, father." She snapped.

Lord Edward gave his daughter a cautioning look, but she ignored it and turned back to the window, sinking deeper into her seat. Ryan could act proper, curtsy, smile, and do everything 'required' of her, however, no matter how hard he and his wife tried, none of the behaviors became a part of Ryan. She was more like her brother. Oh William's behavior was perfectly acceptable. However, Ryan didn't realize that ladies were expected to be softer than men. She was competitive, which was great for her sport, but not for her personality. No one in the social setting with lords and ladies wanted their daughters getting piercing, going to rock concerts, cussing, outsmarting the company, and spending their time with…well, commoners, to be frank. Ryan did all these things shamelessly. "Now now, Ryan. Remember why we're going to see Millie Franklin."

"Peer pressure, Edward. I'm not a clot." came the short reply. "Don't worry, I'll put on a good stupid face for you and your friends."

Edward glared at his daughter before returning to his meal wordlessly.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You don't honestly think this person will just give us the ball back, do you Arnold?" Gerald asked as they approached the massive house.

Arnold swallowed a lump in his throat and shrugged. "You never know, they might."

"Good luck, man." Gerald said as the boys did their signature handshake before Arnold approached the house.

He rang the doorbell and was surprised to be greeted by a butler. The butler raised an eyebrow at Arnold, who only smiled nervously. "Are you here to see the lady of the house?" the butler asked slowly.

"What? Oh no no, I just." Arnold began before the butler cut him off.

"I'm sorry, but if you aren't here to see the lady of the house then I can't help you sneak in." the butler said, a trace of humor in his voice.

Arnold swallowed a lump in his throat. Helga would be watching the scene if she had x-ray vision, but instead she was listening intently, already dressed in her pink satin pajamas that made her feel more awkward that comfortable.

"I was just wondering if I could get my ball back." Arnold asked sheepishly.

"I wasn't aware we had borrowed it, sir." came the butler's reply.

Helga scanned the roof of her grandma's and spotted the baseball Arnold was talking about, lodged in one of the corners of the roof. Cautiously and quietly, Helga climbed out of her window and into the warm spring evening air, stepping lightly over to the ball and claiming it before walking over to where the front door was.

"There aren't any broken windows, I don't see how a baseball could be on our property." Miles continued. He was purposely trying to get on Arnold's nerves now, and Helga could tell. She smirked and shook her head.

"It landed on your roof." Arnold said, trying to stay patient.

Helga bent down and knocked loudly on the roof, catching both Arnold's and Mile's attention. "Miles, I have his ball. Be nice to him."

Arnold looked confused but Miles simply laughed. "Well Rapunzel has let down her hair. Shall I keep a lookout for the evil witch?"

Helga laughed, "That would be nice."

Miles shooed Arnold away. "Go fetch your ball, young man."

Arnold walked away from the front door and into the garden, where he got a clear view of Helga standing on the roof with his ball. His mouth fell open and he couldn't say anything for a second. Not until she gave him a look and asked, "Are you trying to catch flies?"

Arnold hastily shut his mouth, "No, I'm sorry."

Helga tossed the ball down to him and he caught it, "If you're playing around here you may want to be more careful next time. My grandmother would lose her marbles if she saw you. She's…aggravating."

"Have we met?" Arnold asked as he thought it.

Helga didn't hide the surprise on her face, "It's possible."

"Cecile?" Arnold said.

Helga's heart stopped, "You remember that?"

Arnold laughed, "It's hard not to. She…you were the first girl I've ever met that I've liked and has liked me back, even if I've only met you once before…is there anyway I can get your real name or is it still a secret?"

Helga played with her hair. She knew she'd been physically transformed since she arrived at her grandma's house, but she'd never imagined it would be to such an extreme. "It's…still a secret."

"Can I see you again?" Arnold asked desperately.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, "I wouldn't mind." She finally managed to say nervously.

Miles stuck his head out the door. "Evil witch is on the rise."

"Dammit." Helga said under her breath, moving for her window. "You'd better get out of here. She'd murder you if she found you."

Arnold was halfway to the gate and Helga almost through her window when Arnold turned around and loudly whispered, "Hey! Cecile!"

"What?" Helga called back, hoping he'd make it quick.

"It was great seeing you…and I'm sure I miss you already."

Helga was glad the shadows hid her face and she smiled, "Get going. I'll see you later."

Arnold waved and, clutching the baseball, he ran back to Gerald, who was waiting nervously. "Man, what took you so long?" Gerald asked bluntly

Arnold grinned. "You'll never guess who I ran into."

**So I've decided to put Ryan in(obviously), mostly because I've already kinda constructed the story with her and so far the only people with input on the subject want me to keep her. Sorry if you didn't want her. **

**P.S. in Why'd You Have To Go And Turn To Ice? Ryan does figure skating. Well in this one I want Ryan and Helga to have different talents. I was thinking gymnastics or diving/swimming for Ryan and dance or art for Helga. Any insights or would you rather I just surprise you? Anyway, thanks for reading and be sure to review. Ya know, if you liked it or something. **


	3. Chapter 3

Millie jabbed her elbow into Helga's side when her granddaughter didn't curtsy.

Helga bit back a growl and curtsied to Lord Jane and his daughter, Ryan, who responded in suit. Miles led them away to their rooms and Helga didn't see Ryan and her father again until dinner. It was shocking how…prim Ryan acted. She sat up straight, held her head high, and only spoke when she was spoken to. However, Helga still could see traces of annoyance in the other girl every now and then.

When Lord Jane made mention to Helga's shoulders being bound against her chair, Millie simply laughed it off, explaining that Helga had injured her back and was now fixing her posture.

Ryan smiled and shook her head slightly, as if she could tell Helga's grandmother was lying, before taking another dainty bite of her food.

When dinner was finished, Ryan and Helga were dismissed to their rooms, Helga's grandmother and Ryan's father both urging the girls to spend some time together. They smiled sweetly at their elders, but once they'd turned around, both of them sported an annoyed expression.

Miles cut them off when they were halfway up the stairs. "Your prince has come, Rapunzel. He's waiting in your room." Miles said teasingly.

Ryan looked between Helga and Miles before she laughed, something Helga had been doubting the girl was capable of. "Your butler sneaks boys into your room?"

Helga looked terrified. "Look, I know I don't really know you very well-"

"Relax, I won't tell. I think it's totally boss. My butler's a boring old ass." Ryan said bluntly.

Helga's mouth fell open, "Are you allowed to talk like that?"

Ryan shrugged, "I'm not allowed to do a lot of things. That's a reason I'm here. Hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable, but I'm not stupid. My father just wants me to _become_ a lady rather than be content with the fact that I _act_ like one."

Helga looked confused, "My grandmother said that you were coming here to be a 'positive' influence for me."

Ryan stared at Helga long and hard before she burst up laughing, "That's funny. Edward _really_ underestimates how long I can stay on my best behavior. I'm surprised though. I thought I'd hate you right off the back. Go see your boyfriend then you should come to my room and we'll chat more. I need to work out anyway."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Helga pulled her hair over her face and studied her reflection before entering her room. She looked around and didn't see anything for a while, but eventually Arnold poked his head out of her closet. She raised an eyebrow at him before giggling lightly, hiding her mouth behind her head. Back when she was nine she would have died to see Arnold coming from her closet. Partly from humiliation because he would have seen one of the shrines she used to keep dedicated to him. The other half would be ecstatic because he was in her room. Now, she just found it funny.

"You know, I'm starting to feel like I have a stalker." she said with a smirk on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest and popped her hip out to the side.

Arnold raised an eyebrow at her. "You said that today was fine. Third Sunday of the month, remember?"

Suddenly, Helga did remember. She cringed. "Oh god I feel like an idiot. I forgot to tell you that my grandma had guests coming in from out of town."

Outside in the hall there was the sound of a crash, followed by Lord Jane bellowing like a drill sergeant. "Young lady! Get your clothes back on! Have you no shame?"

"I have plenty of shame thanks to you." Ryan snapped back. "I need to train, even if that means all I have is a road to run on and an aisle way to work in."

"I have half a mind." Lord Jane began.

"I believe you." Ryan cut him off before he could finish. "I have to train. There is no option here, you old cock-wallop. There's no gym around here, not one you'll let me go to anyway, you've dragged me away from my coach for only god really knows for how long. I'm sure, given the circumstances, your friend will understand."

Helga almost burst out laughing when Ryan called her father a cock-wallop. Arnold, however, looked terrified and ready to burst back into her closet. When Ryan's father finally vanished in a huff and Ryan proceeded with doing…whatever shameful thing she was doing.

"They sound…pleasant." Arnold finally said.

"The girl might be, but her dad just gets on my nerves." Helga answered. "So how are things in the real world?"

Arnold shrugged, "Boring. Just school and nothing else."

Helga chuckled. "That sounds relaxing."

His face softened. "You really hate it here, don't you?"

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt." Helga answered.

"Then why don't you just leave?"

Helga raised an eyebrow at him. "She's my guardian. the last thing I want is to be a runaway with the police looking for me"

Arnold smiled, "Well maybe if there was an ad looking for you they'd use your real name so I could stop calling you Cecile…unless Cecile is your real name by some chance."

Helga smirked and shook her head, "No my name isn't Cecile."

For the next two hours the pair had just talked, about the littler and finer things in life, Helga still refusing to reveal the secret as to who she was.

There was a knock on the door and in a flash, Arnold had rushed to her closet. Helga rolled her eyes and crossed the room to her door, laughing when she came face to face with Ryan. The girl was wearing only a sports bra and a pair of green fleece shorts. "So that's what your dad was yelling at you about?"

Ryan shrugged. "It's apparently inappropriate. It's what I wear to the gym for workouts back home and he doesn't care. Shows how much attention he pays when other people can see. Anyway, I need to cool down and stretch and there's not enough room in the hallway and all my things are crowding the floor in my room. I was wondering if I could steal your floor for about half an hour."

Helga gave Ryan a skeptical look before looking the girl up and down. "You've been working out all this time? Are you even human?"

Ryan smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sometimes I wonder myself."

Helga smiled slightly. "Alright, come on in."

"Thanks mate." Ryan smiled as Helga shut the door behind her.

Helga crossed the room as Ryan pulled one of her arms across her chest and rolled her neck around. She opened the closet and smirked at Arnold. "You can come out now."

Ryan looked up, pulling her other arm over her chest and giving Helga a raised eyebrow. "I didn't know your mate was still here. You could have told me to leave."

Arnold swallowed a lump in his throat at the sight of Ryan. "Is she going to tell your grandma?"

Ryan rolled her eyes before stretching her arms over her head before leaning back until her hands met the floor, leaving her in a backbend. "I'm not going to tell anyone." she said as she inched her hands and feet closer together, furthering the stretch of her back.

Arnold and Helga both cocked their heads to the side, almost upside down, to examine her. "Are you a contortionist or something?" Helga asked with a laugh.

Ryan braced her arms and kicked her legs over, doing a walkover, and landing on her feet with her hands in the air. She looked almost like a cheerleader, but anyone knowing Ryan would know better than to compare the girl to a cheerleader. "Gymnast, actually. But sometimes it's the same thing. I mean have you seen some of the things the rhythmic girls can do?"

"The way you landed you looked almost like a cheerleader." Arnold observed innocently.

Ryan narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't know you, so I'll let you off with a warning, but know this. Cheerleaders are nothing more than dancers and gymnasts who have gone retarded."

Helga burst out laughing, almost snorted. Arnold looked at her, staring blankly, wondering where he'd heard that chortle before. Ryan raised an eyebrow at Helga. "What's so funny?"

"It's true!" was all Helga could say through her snickering.

Ryan smirked. "I'm glad someone agrees. Either way, I'm not retarded so I'm not a cheerleader. I do need to get back to stretching though, so don't mind me." Ryan readjusted her ponytail so that her long silvery hair wouldn't brush against her shoulder. She moved back to the center of the room and bent forward to touch her toes, placing her palms flat against her heels and breathing into the stretch.

"I should probably get going anyway." Arnold replied cautiously, moving to the window.

Helga walked with him and opened the window for him. Arnold hopped out onto the roof, smiling slightly at her. "At least you'll have a friend now." He said with a smile.

Helga smiled as well, looking over her shoulder at Ryan. "Yeah. I'm just glad she isn't what I was expecting."

Arnold leaned close to her. "I swear I know you."

Helga shrugged, "Well, you do know me."

"When can I see you again?" He asked.

"Two weeks?" Helga recommended with a shrug.

Arnold's face dropped. "I don't like waiting so long."

"You'll like getting caught even less." Came the reply.

Arnold pulled her face to his, kissing her cheek gently. "Two weeks then."

Helga blushed and waved at him dumbly as he climbed down the ivy clinging to the wall.

"So what's the story?" Ryan asked, now on her stomach, pushing her body back, her feet on top of her head turning her body into a human doughnut.

Helga shut the window and cautiously looked from Ryan to the outside. "You really promise you won't tell?"

"That's what friends do, mate." Ryan replied with a smirk.

Helga smiled and got onto her bed. She started from the beginning and told Ryan everything, from her first meeting Arnold in preschool to the April Fools day tango, then Valentines day as Cecile and her embarrassing confession on the FTi building.

The girls talked and laughed for the rest of the evening until Helga fell sound asleep on her bed and Ryan had nodded off on the floor, laying on her stomach, her face buried in her folded arms.

**Well that's it for now. Be sure to review and let me know what you think. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

Helga groaned loudly as he gingerly laid down upon her bed, elevating her feet on the pillows at the head of her bed.

Ryan looked at Helga from a chair by the window, turning a page of one of Helga's books. Ryan hadn't been able to put it down since she realized it was about Queen Mauve.

"How the hell do you do these extracurricular classes without wanting to kill yourself?" Helga moaned.

"Look on the bright side. At least she's done 'training' you, for the most part." Ryan replied, not taking her eyes off of the book.

Helga forced herself onto her side. "That didn't answer my question."

Ryan shrugged, "Only extracurricular thing I ever had is gymnastics and I've been doing it since I was five."

"It can't take up that much time." Helga challenged. She and Ryan didn't get to see each other very often, save for 'free' time, meals, and their usual before-bed chats.

Ryan looked up from her book and gave Helga a skeptical look, "It varies for all gymnasts, but I generally do about five or six hours a day five or six days a week, not counting the hour run that I do every day."

"And _that_ is why I'm not jealous of the fact that you have absolutely _no_ fat on your body." Helga declared.

Ryan laughed, "How are your feet doing?"

Helga gingerly lifted a leg, exposing her blistered foot. "Worse than they look."

"Well if it's anything like blister from the bar, your skin will toughen up in no time. How many classes does Millicent have you in?"

Helga sighed and started counting, "Well there's an hour of painting, an hour of violin, then an hour on barre, an hour on turns, an hour on leaps, half an hour just working on my turnout, and another hour of palates." Helga sounded annoyed.

Ryan laughed, "It sounds like your grandmother is trying to turn you into a professional ballerina."

Helga glared at Ryan, "I don't _want_ to be a ballerina. The woman knows I took a few dance classes back when I was a kid and suddenly I'm in extensive training. She just wants me to be a frilly little girl in a tutu and that's not who I am. I curtsy and do all the shit she wants me to do. Isn't that enough?"

Ryan raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Hello?" She raised her hand and pointed down at herself.

Helga smirked. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Ryan asked, "So…when are you going to tell your beloved who Cecile is?"

Helga glared at Ryan. "When I'm good and ready."

"You honestly don't think he'll find out?" Ryan scoffed. "You Americans."

"Well I'm sorry I'm not as fun as whatever you were expecting from America." Helga snapped.

Ryan smiled slightly and turned a page in her book, "Actually, when I heard we were going to America all I wanted to do was eat deep fried food and play a game of baseball." She laughed lightly, "Stupid, isn't it?"

Helga smirked, "Well if my parents hadn't kicked the bucket I would have been able to help you out with that."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"And you're absolutely _sure_ that you know who this girl is? I mean…well, you know what I mean, bubba." Gerald said, sounding skeptical and almost annoyed.

Arnold dribbled his basketball as they made their way down the street towards the boarding house. "I hope so. I mean, she could just be about all that and leading me on, but I don't think Cecile would do that."

"Yeah, and you may be pretty dense, but after what Lila did to you, mmm mmm MMM." Gerald shook his head dramatically.

Arnold rolled his eyes. "I would rather not talk about Lila." Arnold and Lila had ended things on alright terms, but she had led him on for a long time before. As far as relationships went, Arnold didn't like thinking back on the one he had with Lila.

"Well what about Cecile's friend?" Gerald elbowed Arnold playfully.

Arnold furrowed his brow at Gerald. "I'm not interested in Ryan."

"Ryan?"

Gerald and Arnold looked behind them to find Rhonda staring at them with a cocked brow.

"Hey Rhonda. What's up?" Arnold asked, trying to avoid the subject of how she was creepily behind them.

"I couldn't help but overhear. Gerald's suggesting you make a move on a Ryan. You couldn't possibly be talking about Ryan _Jane_ could you?"

Gerald crossed his arms over his chest. "I was actually talking about for me."

Arnold looked between Gerald and Rhonda. "Well I don't know her last name."

Rhonda gasped dramatically. "So it _is_ Ryan Jane!"

"Um…Rhonda, I just said I don't know her last name." Arnold said nervously.

Rhonda looked smug. "Is she a gymnast."

Arnold looked surprised now. "Yeah. Not sure how good she is though."

"She's only my _favorite_ gymnast. Everyone thinks I should be more supportive of American gymnasts like Nastia or Shawn, but I'd much rather support Ryan. She's much less mainstream, which is _very_ in right now." Rhonda crossed her arms over her chest and flipped her glossy black hair over her shoulder. She was still the esteemed queen of gossip, but she was also the captain of the cheerleading squad. Because of this, she was always following the latest fashions and in her spare time paid diligent attention to online videos of other cheerleaders, dancers, and gymnasts to give her ideas for new routines.

Arnold had to bite back a smile as he recalled what Ryan had said the first time he'd met her. 'Cheerleaders are only dancers and gymnasts who have gone retarded.' "Just because her name is Ryan and she's a gymnast that doesn't mean-"

Before Arnold could finish his sentence Rhonda pulled out her phone and googled for a picture of the gymnast she was talking about. When she found a photo, she held the phone out to Arnold.

He looked at the picture then back at Rhonda before taking her phone and getting a closer look at the photo. "Well…yeah, that looks a lot like her."

Rhonda squealed, "Oh Arnold, you simply _must_ introduce us!"

"Um…I've only met her twice Rhonda. I don't think that would be a good idea." Arnold said, hoping to not have to explain the strong dislike Ryan had for cheerleaders.

"Damn!" Gerald exclaimed once he got a look at the picture. "Arnold why don't you go after this Ryan chick instead. I mean have you seen the way gymnasts can bend?"

Arnold rolled his eyes and handed Rhonda her phone. "Gerald and I have a project to get to work on, Rhonda. We'll see you at school."

Rhonda looked disappointed, but bid them farewell all the same.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Helga's ballet instructor, Yael Vice, a tiny but commanding and strong young woman, had decided to allow her pupil to take her lessons in the gym Ryan's father had made in a makeshift shed behind Millie's magnificent house. The gym was really the same gym that Ryan had back at home, she'd merely broken her father down and convinced him to send it over after being without it for more than a month.

Helga was at work on the barre on the far end of the room. Since most of her lessons were really review, Yael had decided to start Helga en pointe, and Helga was not happy about that. Her feet bled and blistered and Helga had half a mind to burn her shoes. She had to relearn _everything. _The new shoes required new alterations in her stance and flaws en pointe were often more noticeable and painful.

Occasionally Helga would enviously glare over at Ryan, who was now climbing up the rope for what must have been the tenth time, her legs straightened out in front of her to ensure she only used her upper body to climb. She made it look so disgustingly easy.

Yael pulled Helga out of her daze and reminded her to go up on her toes. Helga did, her weight felt like it was ripping her feet apart.

Helga raised her right leg behind her into an arabesque just as the door opened. Helga held her pose and looked to Ryan, who had relaxed a bit on the rope, her legs wrapped around it as she looked down at her father and Helga's grandmother.

Millie's hands came together and she swooned at the sight of Helga. "My darling, you are a vision!" She exclaimed.

"Thank you, grandmother." Helga replied with a smile, fighting the urge to give her grandmother a piece of her mind. She had to admit that things were in fact going much more smoothly once she started following Ryan's advice and brownnosed.

"Ryan, won't you come down and hear our exciting news?" Ryan's father called sweetly.

Ryan rolled her eyes but was already halfway down.

"You would never imagine who's in the country." Millie began gleefully.

"Your dear older brother, William, has decided to take a holiday in Los Angeles." Edward finished.

"It's just been _so _long since I've seen William, I couldn't resist us paying him a visit." Millie added.

"So we'll be gone for a few days." Edward finished.

"A few days?" Ryan asked, sounding somewhat hopeful.

Edward leaned in a whispered harshly, "No funny business."

-.-.-.-.-.-

Helga had known that her grandmother's trip to California was too good to be true. She plopped down at her desk and waited for her governess to join her. When Julia didn't show up after fifteen minutes, Helga decided to check her governess's room.

When she arrived she found a note pasted to the door.

_I got Yael to give you a day off. You and Ryan have been hard at work. As long as your grandmother isn't here, I'm more than happy to let you go and do what your heart desires. Just be sure that tomorrow you're still here for ballet (I got your class for tomorrow switched to be a morning one. _

_Yours, Julia_

_P.S. Burn this once you read it. _

Helga read the letter twice before she ran out to the gym to tell Ryan that their chance to play baseball and eat deep fried foods had arrived..

**Sorry, the ending is kinda rushed, but I'm tired. I may come back and fix it sometime, but I wouldn't count on it. Be sure to review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

"I can't go out there looking like this." Ryan motioned to herself.

Helga crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her friend, "What, are you a celebrity now or something?"

"Well, no. Then again, anyone who follows gymnastics on a national level might recognize me. Key word is _might_. I was on the Worlds' team, but we didn't medal. I did get bronze on bars and got fifth in beam, which is actually pretty good because-"

"Ryan." Helga crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her friend. Ryan had a tendency to get a little over zealous whenever she started talking about gymnastics. When there was nothing better to do, Helga didn't mind listening to Ryan ramble about losing or winning by a tenth of a point or how much she loved the sport, but thought the judges could be brutal. Helga was glad Ryan was passionate about something. Now just wasn't the time for her to express it.

Ryan bit her lip, "I almost did it again, didn't I?"

Helga nodded. "Yep."

"Well in any case, I wasn't talking about strangers recognizing me. I was talking about Arnold recognizing me." Ryan explained, crossing her legs under her. "I think your charade is maddness and all, mate, but I'm not gunna spill the beans. I think you'll tell him when you've finished being afraid."

"I never thought of that." Helga admitted sheepishly. Helga contemplated for a moment before a sly grin came upon her face. "Well…maybe you just need your own alter ego."

Ryan looked up at Helga before she realized what she was talking about. "Oh no. No no no no no. I am _not_ making pretending to be some nonexistent person so that I can help keep your secret. "

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I can't believe I'm pretending to be some nonexistent person so that I can help keep your secret." Ryan sneered, her voice altered to sound Australian rather than British. Her long golden hair had been coiled up and compressed into a wig cap. It had turned out that Miles was actually quite a theater enthusiast. They had decided that Ryan, the British gymnast, would now become Olivia, the Australian…well…they hadn't really gotten farther than Australian. With thick dark eyeliner, contacts that turned her hazel eyes brown, a Jimmi Hendrix tee shirt of Helga's, black converse, denim shorts, and a black wig cut in a bob made her look nothing like herself.

Helga smiled at her friend, wearing white board shorts and a pink tank top, her hair in pigtails hanging onto her shoulders. "The short hair looks good on you."

Ryan's eyes narrowed. "Shut up."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The doorbell rang and Arnold answered it, surprised to see Helga, leaning against the frame. "Hey football head. How's tricks?"

Arnold grinned, "Helga!" In an instant Arnold had closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug.

Helga's cheeks turned red and Ryan smirked, hiding a small laugh behind her hand. Helga pushed him away gently. "Uh, yeah, it's me, football head."

"Sorry. I'm just really happy to see you." Arnold released her with a grin. "How have you been?"

Helga shrugged, "Been better." She brought her forearm into her body and jutted her thumb in Ryan's direction. "This is Olivia. She's never played baseball before and we were wondering if you could help hook us up."

Arnold's eye's went wide. "You've _never_ played baseball before?"

Ryan shrugged, "My dad doesn't like me playin' sports."

Arnold narrowed his eyes, trying to place her accent. "Are you from London?"

Ryan tried to feign annoyance, and must have succeeded. "You have no idea how many times I've been asked that since I moved her, mate. I'm from down unda, ya wanker."

Helga doubled over laughing, partially from being proud of Ryan's acting and the other part from her friend calling Arnold and wanker.

"Sorry." Arnold said shortly.

"Yeah, me too. You're not a wanker." Ryan said quickly.

Arnold smiled slightly. "I see why you and Helga are friends. I'll call up the gang and meet you at Geraldfeild, kay?"

Helga shrugged and linked her arm around Ryan's, leading her away. "Sounds good, football head."

Ryan waved goodbye to Arnold. Once she and Helga were back in the car, Ryan smirked at her friend. "Ya know he hugged you back there."

Helga started the car, and glared at her friend. "Shut up."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Boy howdy, that's Helga's friend?" Sid asked, missing the ball Stinky had thrown in his direction.

Harold, Stinky, Gerald, Phoebe, Rhonda, Sheena, and Nadine all heard what Sid had said and looked to where Helga and Ryan were walking onto the field.

"What on _earth_ is she wearing?" Rhonda asked haughtily.

Nadine grinned, "I wonder what she knows about the Australian variations of cockroaches. Arnold did say she was from Australia, right?"

"We can hear you buffoons." Helga snarled as she stomped towards home plate. "And yeah, she's from Australia."

Nadine jumped in front of Ryan first, "Do you know anything about the variations of Australian cockroaches?"

Ryan wrinkled her nose and cocked her head to the side, "Um…nothin'. Cockroaches are disgusting."

Nadine looked disappointed, "Oh, that's too bad. I'm Nadine."

"Hi Nadine. I'm Olivia." Ryan bit her tongue. She'd almost introduced herself as Ryan, but she stopped herself in time.

Sid swooped in in front of Nadine and took Ryan's hand, gently pressing his lips against her knuckles. "Pleased to meet you, my desert flower. You can call me Sid."

Ryan's eyes went wide and she looked at Helga, who was doing all she could to not laugh. "Are all American boys like this."

"Only the most charming ones." Sid grinned, doing his best to look alluring.

Ryan yanked her hand away, "How about we just play some baseball, mate?"

Harold laughed loudly, catching Ryan's attention. "She sure turned you down Sid! HAHAHAHA!"

Sid narrowed his eyes, "Shut up Harold."

Phoebe squealed and jumped onto Helga, embracing her tightly, "I've missed you so much Helga! How's life with your grandmother?"

Helga hugged Phoebe back and grinned widely, "Oh it's been hell."

"You're living with your grandmother?" Arnold asked, entering the field, a bat slung over his shoulder. He had one mitt stuck on the end of the bat and held another in his free hand.

Helga crossed her arms over her chest, "Yeah. What of it, football head?"

He shrugged, "I just didn't know. Hey Olivia."

It took Ryan a second to remember her alias before responding. "Hey Arnold."

Arnold extended one of the mitts to her. "Since you haven't played before I thought you might need one of these."

Ryan took the mitt. "Great…what do I do with it."

Arnold smiled. "You catch the ball with it. Here, I'll show you." He slipped his own mitt onto his hand before asking Sid for the ball. Ryan put on her own mitt and wiggled her fingers in the leather. Arnold gently threw the ball in her direction and Ryan caught it. She smirked, "I guess those years of rhythmic were actually useful for something."

Eugene had just arrived. "Rhythmic what?" He asked cheerfully.

"Oh, um…"

"Alright, let's play ball already!" Gerald yelled from home plate.

Ryan sighed internally and gathered with everyone, where Stinky and Gerald called claimed captain. Ryan was displeased when Helga was picked for Gerald's team and Stinky picked her, but Sid ended up on Gerald's team too so she was glad she didn't have to bat with him.

"So you understand how this is gunna go down, right?" Helga asked Ryan before they split up, Ryan to bat and Helga to second base.

Ryan nodded, "Yeah. I have three tries to hit the ball and if I don't hit it then I get a strike. If I hit the ball I run like hell for the bases. On the base I'm safe, but if I get tagged I'm out and get another strike and if my team gets three strikes then we change places and to score a point I make it to all the bases and don't get tagged out."

"That's pretty much it. If you don't count fouls and balls and all that jazz." Helga punched Ryan in the arm before running to her base.

Arnold smiled and held the bat out to her. "You're up."

**Sorry to cut it off right before the game, but I've really gotta go to bed and the game is gunna take up a good part of the next chapter(I think). Anyway, don't forget to review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading. Love ya!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Shouldn't someone else be up to bat?" Ryan asked nervously. "I mean, I've never done this before." Ryan clumsily held the bat, really unsure of the proper stance to use.

Arnold motioned for Harold to hold off on the pitch and he wrapped his arms around Ryan, placing his hands over hers on the bat. Ryan's face turned red and she stiffened, trying to shrink so small that he couldn't touch her. Ryan hadn't ever done anything with a boy as far as dating went, but she wasn't stupid enough to think that this was alright. Besides, Helga was completely ga-ga over him. As Helga's friend, she couldn't even consider stepping onto that territory. Arnold tried moving her hands apart from each other, but Ryan tightened her grip and only grew more tense. "HELGA!" she bellowed.

Arnold took a step back, looking a bit frightened. From second base, Helga rolled her eyes and tried to not laugh, "He's helping you get you stance right, not feeling you up!" Helga shouted back before concealing her face behind her mitt, her shoulders shaking with the force of her chortle.

"Sorry, I probably should have said so before." Arnold said nervously, slowly putting his arms around her again.

Ryan shrugged her shoulder against her neck, his breath making her skin crawl. She wasn't sure if it was a good crawl or not. She relaxed a bit. "It's alright. It's not like you were grabbing my ass or anything."

Arnold gently urged her legs apart with his foot. After years of having her stance altered by centimeters, her body obeyed the command naturally. "So is it only certain words that you don't pronounce your r's?" Arnold asked innocently as he moved her hands farther apart and moved the bat over her shoulder and took a step back. He observed her stance for a moment before he finally said, "Stick your butt out a little bit."

She turned her head to give him a quizzical look. "But I already look absurd. If I stick my ass out I'll look like I'm about to lay an egg. And I pronounce words the way I pronounce them. I'm not the crocodile hunter." She turned back around and reluctantly stuck her butt out a little bit. "Is this right?"

Ryan was half expecting Arnold to be offended, but she smiled slightly when he laughed, "Yeah, that looks right." Arnold stepped back and Ryan dug her heels into her stance to become accustom to it. Harold was pitching and for some odd reason, he found it necessary to laugh, tell the team to move in because she would be an easy out and taunt her about how she couldn't hit the ball if her life depended on it.

"Cut it out, Harold." Stinky snapped. "It's her first time battin'. She don't need ya bein' plain ornery an' rude to her."

"Yeah, pink boy, cut it out!" Helga snarled.

Many others yelled out in agreement. Ryan's eyes narrowed and when Harold pitched the ball all she could focus on was hitting in square in the face.

And that's exactly what she did.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Please tell me I didn't kill him." Ryan said as she and the rest of the gang gathered around Harold, who was still unconscious on the ground. "You have no idea how much hell my mum'll put me through if he's dead."

Sid put a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Helga watched as Ryan clenched her hand in a fist. It looked like she was trying to take a deep breath and control herself, but it didn't last very long. Helga chortled gleefully when Ryan rammed her fist into his ribcage. "Calm down, kid. Pink boy has a pretty tough head. That was a good hit though. I never thought you would have beaned someone with your first swing of a bat."

Ryan looked nervous, ignoring Sid as he inched away, still clutching his stomach. "Is that bad?" She asked cautiously.

"Nah, yer fine. Why I remember when Arnold had Dangerous Lumber and couldn't play without beanin' someone." Stinky told her reassuringly.

Ryan just looked more confused. "Dangerous…Lumber?" she repeated slowly.

"Easy squeezy lemon peasy." Harold said dreamily, finally opening his eyes slowly.

"Eh, he's fine. Besides, he had it coming to him. Smack talk to a newbie is just low." Helga said as she returned to her base.

Everyone started going back to their positions. 'Hey!" Ryan yelled, grabbing for the person nearest to her. That person ended up being Stinky. "What do I do now?"

Stinky shrugged, "Well you were never tagged out or nothin' so I guess we just start over."

"Oh." Ryan looked disappointed. She wasn't sure if she could hit the ball a second time. "Alright then."

Stinky noticed her expression, "Don't worry 'bout it, Olivia. I couldn't even hit a ball 'till was was five an' I play just fine. Shoot, you're a natural."

Ryan smiled up at him. "Thanks, Stinky."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Man, you'd think she would have told you if she was just gonna bail on you tonight." Gerald told Arnold reassuringly as they entered the movie theater with Harold, Sid, Eugene, and Stinky in tow.

Arnold smiled weakly, but it faltered instantly. "Yeah. I'm sure she just forgot or-"

He stopped talking and in an instant he was hushing everyone and forcing them back out the door and around the corner where they could see into the theater, but still not be seen.

"Yo man, what's the deal?" Gerald asked impatiently.

"Yeah! I wanted to go get popcorn!" Harold protested loudly.

"Guys, be quiet." Arnold hushed, pressing his nose against the window and staring at the concession stand. "That's Cecile's friend, Ryan!"

Gerald pressed his nose against the window next to his friend, "You mean the sexy gymnast Rhonda was talking about?"

Arnold narrowed his eyes at Gerald, "What about Phoebe?"

"I told you, man. We decided to date other people because of how long we've been together. Who better to start with than a hot, blonde, and foreign gymnast."

Arnold rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, Gerald."

The rest of the boys started crowding around the window to spy on the girl.

"Wilikers , Arnold, she sure is pretty." Stinky said once he spotted her.

Sid shrugged, "She looks like all the other idiotic blondes in the world. I don't see what the big deal is."

"Man, didn't you say that Cecile and Ryan never got to leave the old lady's house?" Gerald asked suddenly.

"Yeah. I wonder what she's doing here." Arnold asked aloud.

They watched as Ryan turned and walked into the theater, her high ponytail bouncing as she balanced a large soda, a bucket of popcorn and a massive pile of candy.

Arnold cautiously opened the door and motioned for the boys to follow.

"Wait a minute! What're we doing?" Harold complained loudly.

"We're going to follow her. Maybe she's here with Cecile." Arnold sounded hopeful.

"And why should we waste a perfectly good movie stalking your girlfriend?" Harold wailed irritably.

Gerald crossed his arms over his chest. "Man, we all cancelled our plans for tonight to hang with Arnold and console him. If he want's to find out more about his mystery girl then we're gunna stalk this girl and get some answers. Hopefully we won't get caught because that sounds really sketchy."

They went into the theater, being sure to go on the upper balcony, surprised to find that Ryan and Cecile were the only members of the audience. The movie had been out for a while so they weren't expecting a big crowd, but more than the two girls. Arnold and the rest of the gang gathered at the front of the balcony, hiding behind the ledge.

For a while they watched in silence as Ryan and Cecile chatted aimlessly. No one could hear what they were saying, save for when one or the other would laugh.

Finally, Ryan stood up on her seat and turned around. The boys all pressed themselves onto the floor, expecting that they had been caught.

"IS ANYONE BACK THERE?" Ryan bellowed.

The boys didn't answer, but looked from one to the other a few times before she yelled again.

"IF ANYONE IS BACK THERE THEN SAY SOMETHING! THROW SOMETHING OR SOMETHING! IF YOU DON'T THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE EVEN LOUDER!"

They still didn't answer.

Arnold peeked over the ledge just in time to see Ryan turn to Cecile. He couldn't see anything but the back of her head, which was covered in a loose crocheted hat. He assumed she'd tucked her hair into it as well. Like Ryan, she was wearing a trench coat and, as far as he knew, nothing else. The boys watched curiously as Cecile pulled something big out of her bag.

Then the music started blasting.

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "I never would have thought your girlfriend would be a fan of Michael Jackson. I mean, you make her sound so sophisticated."

Arnold didn't respond, just watched with the rest of the boys as Ryan and Cecile got up and started dancing. It all looked so…choreographed. It was then that Arnold realized that the girls had actually memorized the dance from the Bad music video. As they danced, Cecile and Ryan shed their coats, Ryan first.

"Is it just me or does that Ryan girl's outfit look mighty familiar?" Stinky asked quietly.

Then Cecile took off her hat and coat, a grin on her face and a joyful laugh emerging from her mouth. Arnold's mouth fell open.

It was Helga.

**Oh snap crackle and pizzazz! Be sure to review and let me know what you think. **

**Also for you following Cat Scratch Fever, a new chapter for that fic will be up soon too. I just had to get this idea out of my system. Thanks for reading everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

"They had no idea!" Ryan squealed, laughing hysterically, tears forming in her eyes and her shoulders shaking violent. "I'm either the best actress in the world or that lad out there has absolutely _no_ sense of smell or sense of…well, anything!"

Helga found herself laughing as well. They'd just fallen over each other during a part of the Bad dance and ended up just staying on the floor. Ryan had a list of things she wanted to do while she was 'free' and Helga was more than happy to oblige. Before her parents had died, just like almost every other teenager in the world, Helga had gone to parties and learned all about alcohol and drugs. She'd never experimented farther than mushrooms though. However, she and Ryan weren't on mushrooms. They weren't even drunk. They'd merely smoked a few blunts of marijuana, along with eating two very funny brownies a piece. "Oh god. I haven't felt this good in a _long_ time."

Ryan grinned and rolled onto her stomach to look at her friend, both of them blissfully unaware of their audience. "You said it. I haven't had this much fun since my brother snuck me out of the gym to play cricket with him and a load of his mates."

Helga chuckled, "You're a boss gymnast and all, but I'd love to see what you could have done if your old man put you into something like boxing."

Ryan rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Helga…seriously." Her expression became very solemn. "I just forgot."

Helga chuckled. "Yeah…why're we on the floor?"

Ryan started giggling, "I don't know, but I wanna do some tumbling!"

"Dude…is that really a good idea?" Helga asked slowly.

"I'm gunna do it!" Ryan got up on her feet in a flash before she began chortling again. "Wait! Mate mate mate mate! Mate, are you listening to me?"

Helga rolled her head over and raised an eyebrow at Ryan, "Spit it out, Ry."

"If I…can do this thing I wanna do…you have to tell him." Ryan grinned mischievously, doing a little dance. Helga had become more aloof and dazed after they'd given up on dancing. Ryan, however, just seemed to be getting more and more hyper and excited.

Helga rolled her eyes, "I don't know why that's such a big deal. I'm so _stupid_. Ya know, let's…let's not watch the movie and I'll go to the boarding house and tell him."

Ryan gasped, "You're going to tell him? You mean you aren't afraid that he's going to hate you anymore? You don't think that he'll shun you and treat you like a monster like you told me you were?" Ryan sounded gleeful and excited.

Helga pondered Ryan's words, her face unreadable. "Well now I am. Fuck it, I'm not telling him." She crossed her arms and scowled.

"No! No you have to tell him! If I…if I do that thing I wanted to do you have to tell him!" Ryan was beginning to sound more drunk than stoned. The tiny sober section of Helga's mind wondered if Ryan would acted stoned when she was drunk too, but then the high side of her took over and she didn't bother pondering it anymore.

"This thing…is it dangerous?" Helga asked seriously.

Ryan grinned widely and nodded.

Helga shrugged and sat up, leaning against one of the seats. "Alright, if you do this stupid and dangerous thing and you don't die then I'll tell Arnold before we go home tonight."

"Yay!" Ryan squealed enthusiastically before running for the back of the theater. She turned a corner and ended up tripping over one of the seats. Helga looked after her, but before she could ask, Ryan popped back up onto her feet and yelled, "I'm ok!"

Helga smirked and started digging into the popcorn when Ryan disappeared. She would have been reminded of Eugene, but Ryan was far too peppy and bounced back too quickly for her to make the connection.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Man, Helga G. Pataki is your sophisticated, sassy, but sweet, poetic, deep, and beautiful girl?" Gerald whispered. "Now I've seen everything."

Arnold shushed him and listened in on their conversation. They were _definitely _far from sober, but that wasn't what put the solemn expression on Arnold's face. She thought that he would hate her. He had to admit, it was quite a shock to find out that Helga was Cecile, almost as shocking as her confession of love on the Fti building was. However, as he thought back, it made sense. And Helga did look a great deal like Cecile. Now that he thought about it, he felt stupid for not having figured it out sooner. But Helga couldn't have been more wrong. Cecile was the part of her that she was afraid to show to almost everyone. Everyone but him.

Stinky, however, looked even more upset than Arnold. "Yo, man, what's eatin' _you_?" Gerald asked Stinky, looking confused. "Not to rain on your already rainy parade, but it's not like you just found out you're bein' romanced by Helga Pataki."

"Nah, but I did just find out that the first girl I've liked in years, and may actually like me back, is a rich gymnastics star." Stinky sounded glum and Arnold frowned in his direction.

"You like Ryan?" Arnold asked, all of them being sure that they were quiet.

Stinky shrugged, "I liked Olivia. But she ain't even real."

Sid crossed his arms, "Yeah, I always knew she was nothing more than a fake."

"You're just saying that because she turned you down." Harold replied mockingly.

Sid narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything.

The door to the balcony opened and the boys flattened against the floor, stilling their breath.

Ryan slammed the door behind her and started doing cartwheels down the aisle leading to the front of the balcony where the boys were. She giggled as she moved. Having done gymnastics for so long, cartwheels were no harder than walking for her. She stopped when she came to the wall at the end of the balcony and she looked down at Helga, waving violently. "Helga!" she giggled.

Helga looked up and waved lazily. Then, she realized what Ryan was about to do. "Wait a second. You aren't about to do what I think you're going to do, are you?" Helga asked seriously, a disciplining tone in her voice. "I'll tell him just to keep you _from_ doing that. I mean, imagine how much trouble I'd be in if you fell and broke your pretty little neck."

Ryan laughed, still blissfully ignorant of the pile of boys to her left. She had already slipped off her shoes and was bouncing up on her toes. "Calm down, Hells Bells, I do this every day."

Helga seemed to have sobered in an instant. "Yeah, but when you do it every day the farthest you can fall is three feet!" She yelled.

Ryan didn't listen. In an instant, she hoisted herself upon the wall of wood, situating her feet to rest in the middle of the nine inches of width that the wall had to offer.

"Ryan!" Helga was yelling now, "Get your fucking ass down here NOW!"

The boys watched in awe and horror as Ryan changed her stance into a handstand and started effortlessly walking in their direction, "Calm down, Helga I'm-AHHHH!" Ryan sighted the boys and her hand slipped. She hit her head full force on the way down.

"RYAN!" Helga screamed.

Before Ryan could fall very far, she managed to catch a decorative gold bar along the bottom of the balcony. She breathed heavily, catching her breath before she readjusted her grip on the bar. It was smoother than the ones she was used to so her sweaty palms weren't doing her any favors. She was just glad that some of her training was doing her good in the outside world, even though it had also put her into trouble in the first place.

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Helga bellowed.

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT! IT'S THEIRS!" Ryan shouted back.

Helga was shaking, with fury and worry for her friend, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

Ryan ignored Helga, "HELP ME UP YOU GOD AWFUL TWATS!"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU-" Helga stopped talking the second the boys went to Ryan's aid. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped when she saw Arnold among them. "Oh no."

"Don't worry, we'll get you up." Arnold told her reassuringly, extending an arm towards her.

Ryan let go of one hand, but wasn't able to reach Arnold. "Helga!" she called, not seeing her friend below.

"I'm right here, Ry." Helga said reassuringly from next to Arnold. The boys all jumped at seeing her. "Just hang on. If you fall I won't be able to kill you when you get up here."

Ryan managed a laugh, "Great pep talk mate."

"I try." came the short reply. "Stinky, you're the tallest so you can get closest to her. Hop to it!"

Stinky swallowed lump in his throat, "Alright, Helga." Stinky leaned over the railing, everyone hanging onto his legs to keep him from going over as well.

"Hey. Remember me?" Ryan said with a nervous laugh once he came into view.

Stinky lowered his hand to her, "I reckon now ain't the time that, Miss Ryan."

Ryan reached for his hand, but she missed it. She gritted her teeth and ignored Stinky's protest before swinging her body forward and putting a deathgrip on his wrist. "Pull!" She shouted.

Everyone obeyed and in no time, they'd all managed to get Ryan back onto the balcony.

"You idiot! You almost got yourself killed!" Helga shouted, biting back tears and throwing her arms around her friend.

"Ow!" Ryan exclaimed, trying to pull Helga away. "My head my head my head!"

"Yeah, she did hit it pretty hard." Stinky stated. "I'm surprised it didn't knock her out cold."

Helga released her friend and asked someone for a phone. Arnold handed his over.

"I'm fine." Ryan insisted. "I fall on my head every day."

Helga held the phone up to illuminate Ryan's face, revealing a gash on her forehead. "You may fall every day, but not on your head. It looks pretty deep…we should probably get you to a hospital."

"No!" Ryan exclaimed. "I go to a hospital then all hell breaks loose. Besides, it's not a big deal." She shook her head and did her best to ignore the spinning room and her stomach as it tied itself in knots.

"Helga's right." Arnold spoke up, "We should see if you need stitches or anything."

"We'll just tell Miles that you clipped your head on a bad dismount on beam. You've come pretty close to splitting your head open with that stupid dismount you're determined to stick." Helga said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So you really are Cecile then." Arnold said, forcing back a smile.

Helga looked terrified for a second, but then managed to cover it up with anger, "Is that really important right now, Arnold?" she snapped.

Ryan squeaked, which captured everyone's attention, "He knows!"

"Doi." Helga sneered.

Ryan was about to go on, but her stomach unleashed its contents on Stinky's shoes. "Oh god. I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. Let's just get you to the hospital." Stinky suggested gently.

Ryan sighed, but eventually agreed. She didn't agree to Stinky carrying her out, but eventually just let him do what he wanted. "Wilikers, you barely weigh nothin'." He observed once she stopped struggling.

"I have to." Ryan replied shortly. "Gymnastics is hard enough, I don't need any extra weight."

"Yeah yeah, quit the small talk and let's go already!" Helga ordered.

Arnold stood behind everyone, waiting until they'd all cleared out, smiling at her. It was nice to see Helga get so worked up over someone. His smile only got bigger when she looked in his direction. Her cheeks turned red, but she snapped at him to cover her embarrassment. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." she sneered.

Arnold closed the distance between them and took her hand, his smile never leaving his face, "Maybe some other time."

Helga's breathing almost stopped as his fingers laced with hers and he led them away. Her face was still burning red. She shook her head and almost slapped herself across the face. Now the important thing was to get Ryan to a hospital. However, Arnold holding her hand seemed to always creep back into the forefront of her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

Helga was doing her best to ignore everyone in the waiting room. She'd shoved her earbuds into ears and was listening to the play list on her iPod that she'd named 'chill'. She only had two play lists on her ipod, chill and deafen. Lately, chill had been the only one she'd listened to lately. It was hard to not go absolutely nuts on her grandmother. The music selection worked miracles as far as calming her nerves. She was currently listening to a song called I Am A Pirate You Are A Princess by PlayRadioPlay!, a group Ryan had introduced Helga to on one of the many weekends they spent locked in one of their rooms listening to and exchanging music.

She shrunk into her chair and toyed with her headphones, occasionally leering over to where all the boys had gathered while they waited for Ryan. She didn't really want to know what they were talking about.

She knew, though.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Man, Helga is _not_ this Cecile chick you've been going crazy over." Gerald said for the fifth time. "Come on, bubba, you'd have to be a total idiot to think that's the case."

"Yeah, Arnold." Sid spoke up, opening a can of soda with a pop and a hiss. "I mean, Helga's cool as far as friends go, but she's one of the guys. Didn't you say this Cecile person took ballet and wrote poetry? I mean, come on, Helga would never do that."

Arnold narrowed his eyes and fought the urge to shout at all of them. "Helga's always had a softer side to her. I've seen it before. I bet she's just afraid to show it to others because she thinks she'll be made fun of."

"Well of course she'd be made fun of!" Harold spoke up, "I mean this is HELGA! She's not even really a girl."

A throat was cleared behind them and they all spun around. "Well if it isn't Prince Charming." The man looked very put together with a clean-shaven face and a tailored suit. Arnold recognized him right away as Miles, Ceciles-or Helga's- butler.

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell are you?"

"Gerald," Arnold said, a warning in his voice, "This is Miles."

"You mean the butler dude?" Gerald crossed his arms and gave Miles an almost challenging look.

Miles merely smiled, "Butler, yes. Dude, no. I actually have some…decency."

"Finally!" Helga stormed over, yanking out her headphones and glaring at Miles. "Took ya long enough. Can I go home now?"

Miles chuckled and shook his head, "Looks like Rapunzel is worried about her friend."

Helga crossed her arms, her scowl darkening, "I know where you sleep."

Miles looked smug, "And I know where you keep your poetry."

Her face paled, "You wouldn't dare."

The butler cleared his throat, "When evergreens pass and the sun dies down."

Helga yelped and sprung onto Miles', covering his mouth with her had, "I will murder you, old man!"

Miles pushed her away, laughing, "You should really share your talent."

"I'm going home." Helga snapped, "Bring Ryan back whenever she's out." Helga turned to leave, but stopped in her tracks before turning around, "What did the old witch and the troll say?"

Miles smiled, accustom to the nicknames for Ryan's father and Helga's grandmother, "They almost came back home. William convinced them to stay a few days longer though so they actually won't be back until Tuesday."

Helga looked surprised. That was almost an entire week. "Wow. Will must be good. Ryan told me he was pretty boss, but I never imagined _that_ would be possible."

"William Jane could charm just about anyone and anything. It wouldn't shock me much if he even managed to charm you." Miles teased.

"Not on your life." Helga snapped, "I'm out of here."

Arnold stepped forward as the rest of the group merely looked from Miles to Helga, taking in the conversation. "I'll drive you." He offered gently, ignoring the protests that sprung up behind him.

"I'm fine, football head." she snapped, shoving her hands in her pockets and quickening her pace without realizing it.

Arnold jogged to keep up with her. "Yeah, but you were kinda…well…you know." He didn't think it would be very wise to use the term 'stoned out of your mind' or 'high as a kite' in a hospital. "I just wanna make sure you get home alright. Plus, I'd really like to talk to you."

She stopped dead in her tracks to glare at him. She really didn't want to talk to him about Cecile yet, but she knew him well enough to know that there was no getting out of it. "Fine. You can drive me home." came the short reply.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Arnold had been hoping that he would be able to spark up a conversation with Helga on the drive. He'd insisted upon taking the wheel and after a screaming match that lasted almost ten minutes, she'd finally given in and pitched the keys at his head. He was just glad she stormed into the passenger seat so she couldn't see him chuckling behind the car.

The ride had gone on in silence, Arnold unsure of how to start a conversation now and Helga melting into her seat, staring out the window and winding her hair around her fingers. Things only got more awkward when Arnold decided to turn on the CD player to drown out the silence.

Helga's face was burning when Arnold tried skipping the song Between the Lines by Sara Bareilles to be met by Time After Time by Cindy Lauper. Then I Want To Know Your Plans by Say Anything. My Love by Sia. I'd Do Anything by Simple Plan. You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift. Finally, Helga stopped him at Home by Vanessa Carlton. Still, they didn't speak.

When Arnold parked the front of the house, Helga jumped out and headed for the door before he even had a chance to completely stop the car. Arnold protested, but she was too fast for him. She'd gone inside, said a quick hello to Julia, who was reading in the study a few steps from the door, and rushed up her stairs.

Arnold rushed inside after her and rushed up the stairs. He'd never been in the house through the door before so it was taking him some time to get accustom to the change.

Eventually he found her room and pounded on the door. "Helga!" He shouted sternly, "Stop being so childish about this and just talk to me!" He tried to open the door but wasn't able to. She must have locked it. That didn't stop him. He pounded and slammed against the door until the lock finally gave way and he stumbled in. The lock ended up being one of Helga's bookcases, some of her library scattered on the floor. "Helga!" Arnold called, stepping over the bookcase.

He looked under her bed, in her closet, and anywhere else he could think of, but she wasn't there.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Arnold jumped onto his feet when the car came into the driveway. He couldn't hide his surprise when he discovered that everyone had decided to come along for the ride. He was even more surprised to see that they had all managed to fit into the car.

Ryan looked much better, the color had returned to her face and the gash in her forehead had been covered by a bandage and tape. She smiled and waved when she saw Arnold and he rushed to her. "Hey Ryan."

She raised her unscathed brow, "Hey Arnold. I'm touched you care so much…I thought you'd be talking to Helga, though."

Arnold scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yeah, that's actually why I need to talk to you. She kind of…vanished."

Ryan looked back at the mess of boys trying to claw out of the car and a very agetated Miles before turning back to Arnold. "What do you mean she 'vanished'?"

Arnold explained what had happened and felt silly when Ryan laughed at him. "She hasn't vanished. She's just somewhere you haven't seen before."

Arnold looked confused and Ryan rolled her eyes. "Miles, can you direct these idiots to the gym when they're done being…idiots?"

"Gladly." Miles said coldly, his eyes shooting daggers at the boys.

Ryan linked her arm around Arnold's and began the walk around the house where her gym/Helga's studio was hiding. "Come on, mate."

"So what did the doctor say?" Arnold asked as they walked.

"The same thing I did." Ryan replied, "I'm fine. Hit my head pretty hard, but nothing to serious."

Arnold raised an eyebrow when the shed-like building came into view. It was really big. Arnold was surprised he'd never seen it before. Ryan opened the door and led Arnold inside.

And there she was.

Laying lazily upon a long and thick beam of wood, Helga stared up at the ceiling, paying no mind to the sound of the door opening and closing.

Arnold was about to approach her, but Ryan beat him to it, dashing the distance between them and getting Helga off the beam with an abrupt and sudden push.

"Hey!" Helga shouted in protest after her back slammed into the mat. "What the hell?"

Ryan pulled a spring board to one end of the beam, "I need to get back on the horse. I don't want another repeat of vault." Ryan removed her shoes and ran for the board before pouncing upon it and doing a front flip before landing on the beam easily.

Helga got up to move, not wanting Ryan to fall on her if she lost her balance. That was when she saw Arnold. Helga turned and glared at Ryan. "Ryan." Helga's voice was cold.

Ryan smiled, "I did nothing." Ryan threw her body backwards and did a backflip, feet making contact with the beam easily.

Helga simply glared at Ryan. "Traitor."


	9. Chapter 9

Arnold kept trying to convince Ryan to get off the beam, but she wasn't having it. Helga rolled her eyes, "Keep tryin', Arnold. She's not gonna call it quits. She isn't even doing anything that hard…for her."

"She's right, ya know." Ryan said as she jumped off the beam and onto the mat, readjusting her ponytail and tossing her coat aside. She walked around Arnold and hopped back on the springboard, landing back on the beam.

Arnold looked down and scowled. "I just think it's a bad idea."

Ryan froze in her pose, her back arched and arms over her head. She had been preparing to do a front walkover and then two backhand springs along the length of the beam, but she decided to give Arnold a piece of her mind instead. "Arnold, how long have you been playing baseball?"

"Um…I dunno, since I was a kid I guess." he answered cautiously.

She crossed her arms, "Well listen up, because I'm about to make you feel as stupid as Helga did when she ordered cat brains and eggs."

"Hey!" Helga snapped defensively, "I was _nine_ ok? _NINE!_"

Arnold scratched the back of his neck, still becoming accustom with the fact that Cecile was Helga. It took some getting used to imagining Helga as the only girl he'd ever considered to be his Valentine, even long after the forth grade.

Ryan rolled her eyes and continued. "_Anyway_, I've been doing this since I was five. If you got hit on the head with a baseball, then were told that you should wait a while before throwing a ball or swinging a bat, despite the fact that you're fine, I think you'd get annoyed too. I can manage some tumbling. And if I don't do this then I'll scare myself like I did with vault when I was twelve. I still phyc myself out on that apparatus sometimes."

"Uh…" Arnold said slowly, eyes locked on the ground.

"I think you lost the fight, Arnold." Helga laughed.

Ryan did a slow walk over and shouted, "Musica!"

Helga rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly, "On it, Bloody Mary."

Ryan stuck her tongue out at her friend and started doing backhand springs along the beam, stopping just before the end of the beam.

"Wilikers!" Stinky exclaimed as he and the rest of the boys entered the gym. "Is that such a good idea, Miss Ryan?"

"Don't bother." Arnold recommended, stepping off the mats around the beam.

The song Lights by Ellie Goulding started playing over the sound system that Miles had secretly installed for the girls and Ryan began synchronizing her movements to the music. Had she been practicing she would have made her moves sharper and more clean, but since she was just playing around, Ryan would occasionally shake her hips in a very 'improper' fashion.

"Is this actual gymnastics equipment?" Eugene asked, slipping his shoes off and approaching the uneven bars.

"What else would it be? 'Helga almost laughed, her tone making Harold, Sid, Stinky, and Gerald look confused. It wasn't condescending or mean, just amused.

"I've always loved watching gymnastics." Eugene continued, his voice zealous and cheerful as ever. "It's a very artistic, yet powerful sport. I wish I could do something like that, but you all know me. I'm too much of a klutz to consider it."

Helga looked over her shoulder at Ryan, who was preparing for a dismount. "Maybe Ryan can teach you some moves. Wouldn't mind watching you guys run around looking like a bunch of buffoons." She laughed again.

Ryan's body slapped the mat and she slammed her fist onto it. "Dammit!"

"I told you you shouldn't do it." Arnold chided.

Ryan glared daggers at him, "It's the dismount itself, you pompous twat."

"Double back with a twist?" Helga asked.

"Yes!" Ryan almost yelled. "I can do a double back, I can do a double front, I can do a double front with a twist, I can do a back with a twist, so why the _hell_ can't I do a double back with a _stupid_ twist?" She rolled onto her back and stared up at the tin ceiling. "I miss my coach sometimes."

"Ya wanna teach these clowns a few tricks?" Helga asked, nodding her head in their direction.

Ryan got up onto her knees and crossed her arms. "Helga, you know you have something to do."

"Yeah, but this would be fun." Helga replied.

Ryan bit her lip, "Well…it would be fun…alright, what the hell. Ooh!" Ryan jumped up onto her feet and ran over to the group, "Then let's have a sleepover and watch movies!"

"With popcorn?" Harold piped up enthusiastically.

Ryan cringed, "No. I honestly can't believe I even ate that. It was so…buttery. What else did I eat?"

Helga raised a brow at her friend, "You don't remember?"

"Well it was all kind of a blur and when it came up I couldn't tell what it was, _cat brains._" Ryan snapped.

Helga cringed, "Alright alright. You had um…let's see…popcorn, obviously, chocolate chip cookies, candy…doughnuts, and you drank most of the soda."

Ryan looked repulsed. "You let me drink _soda_?"

"What's wrong with soda?" Sid asked defensively.

"Oh no, here we go." Helga groaned. Ryan was just as passionate about her health as she was about her gymnastics.

"Sugar spikes, which can cause your liver to burst, then there's caffeine, don't even get me started on the caffeine, it works the same way heroin does, the citric acid in it can desolve an entire steak if it's left in it, it makes you dehydrated. And that's just a start!" Ryan exclaimed. "I need water."

"Alright Doctor Oz, how about you show these tools how 'easy' gymnastics is?" Helga snapped, pulling Ryan out of her rant.

"Oh. Right…sorry…I did it again, didn't I?"

Helga laughed and slipped her shoes off, "You always do."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You're teachin' us how to do a handstand?" Gerald moaned, "Hell, we could figure that out for ourselves."

"It's not as easy as it looks, Gerald-o." Helga sneered from atop the beam, watching Ryan and the 'class' that had gathered in the center of the floor where Ryan practiced her…well, floor routines.

"How did I get roped into this?" Arnold grumbled, glancing at Helga.

Ryan heard him and smirked, "Helga, why don't you come on and show them how important a good and stable handstand is?"

"You can show them yourself." Helga retorted.

Ryan crossed her arms, "I'll resort to blackmail if I must. Well…it's not all really bad, but it's still secret."

Helga leered at her friend, "You wouldn't dare."

Ryan shrugged, "Hey Arnold, do you remember Christmas in the forth grade?"

"Alright I'm coming!" Helga snapped.

"Christmas in the forth grade?" Gerald repeated to Arnold. "Wasn't that the year we tried to find Mister Hyunh's daughter?"

"I think it was." Arnold looked at Helga questioningly as she stormed over to Ryan, either avoiding or ignoring his gaze. "What would Helga have to do with-" He stopped as he realized something. "You don't think Helga had something to do with that, do you?"

"Man, I don't know what to think anymore." Gerald said as they watched Helga go up onto her hands. Ryan had taught Helga odds and ends concerning gymnastics and in return, Ryan would join in on Helga's ballet lessons.

"Gosh, Helga!" Eugene exclaimed, "That's really impressive."

"She can even do it one-handed." Ryan said, proudly. "She had a good teacher though. Show 'em, Helga."

Helga narrowed her eyes, but obeyed, wobbling for a few seconds until she found her balance, straining her face as she forced herself to stay upright.

"Yes…feel the force move through you." Ryan said seriously.

Suddenly, Helga was on the floor, laughing hysterically. "Yoda!" She squealed pointing at Ryan.

Ryan giggled as well, "Alright, boys, your turn."

"Aw, but I'm hungry!" Harold whined.

"just as well, you probably couldn't do a handstand to save your life." Ryan challenged.

"I could too!" Harold then proceeded to try, leaving Ryan smirking, recalling how he had thought she wouldn't be able to hit a baseball and had said something similar.

Arnold started to stumble, but before he could fall, a pair of hands secured themselves around his ankles. "Careful there, football head. Straighten your legs and point your toes."

Arnold obeyed just in time to hear Eugene fall upon the mat. "I'm ok." He said, weakly.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Arnold jumped awake, surprised to find himself surrounded by all of his friends, who were soundly sleeping. He saw Ryan and Stinky cuddled up together on the floor and he smiled lightly. Gerald had his leg draped over the arm of the sofa and his head resting against the back of the sofa. Eugene was curled up in a chair and Harold was sprawled out on the floor, his hand still in the bowl full of cheese puffs. He looked around the room once more to find that Helga wasn't there.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned, deciding to go look for her. He looked in the kitchen, which was a mess, covered in snacks, and found she wasn't there. Then he decided to check her room. The bookcase she'd used to barricade her door was upright and cleaned up and she was nowhere in sight. However, her window was open.

He went to the window and found Helga leaning against the wall and scribbling into a journal. She was deep in thought and chewing on her bottom lip. Arnold smiled. "So you do write poetry."

Helga screamed and slammed her book shut, "What the hell, football head!"

He chuckled lightly and climbed out the window to sit next to her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He glanced at the book that she was clutching to her chest. "Can I read it?"

"Not on your life." she snarled, moving the book away from him.

He laughed, "Alright alright" His arm snaked around her and he pulled her into his side. "The sun's coming up."

Helga's face was burning and her body was tense. "Yeah…yeah it is…you realize Cecile was me all this time, right?"

Arnold shrugged, "It all makes sense now. In a way, I'm surprised I didn't figure it out sooner."

Helga relaxed a little bit, but not much. "Yeah, well you are a little dense."

He chuckled, "Yeah, I guess I am."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and swallowed a lump in her throat, "And…you're ok with this?"

He tightened his hold on her and brought his other arm around her, "And you think _I'm_ dense?"

His lips brushed her brow and Helga smiled slightly and finally relaxed into his embrace. "So…what now?"

"Now we watch the sunrise." Arnold said, lifting her chin and placing his lips upon hers before she could move away.


	10. Chapter 10

***Hides from flying fruit* I'm sorry everyone!**

Ryan yawned and lumbered into the kitchen where she was met by a very frantic Miles. Before she could even say good morning to him, he began chattering.

"Good, you're up. Wake the boys and tell them to get the hell out of here!"

Ryan blinked a few times before answering. "What?"

"Your brother just called and they're less than half an hour from home." Miles explained.

"WHAT?" She exclaimed.

"Exactly, now get them the hell out of here!"

Without another word, Ryan sprang to work, shaking her guests awake, having to pour cola on Harold's face to wake him up. The boys mumbled and groaned as she pused them for the door, only stopping when she realized…

"Where's Arnold and Helga?" She asked.

Stinky rubbed his eyes and yawned, "Shucks I ain't got no idea."

No one else had an answer. Ryan groaned and ran up the stairs, bursting into Helga's room, relieved to find them nestled together on Helga's bed, and even more relieved that they both had their clothes on.

She ripped the pillow out from behind Arnold's head, ignoring the loud thud as his skull met the headboard and then tore the blankets off of them.

Helga groped at the air for the blankets. "What the hell." she muttered as Arnold groaned and rubbed the back of his head, slowly sitting up.

"Evil witch is on the rise!" Ryan snapped.

This got Helga out of bed, ushering Arnold out of bed and trying to get him out of the door with the rest of the boys.

To their horror, Millie and Edward appeared in the driveway just then.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Helga, I cannot believe that you would do something like this!" Millie exclaimed. "And bringing poor Ryan into it as well."

Ryan scowled for her place on the loveseat beside Helga. "How many times to I have to say it, this was _my _idea."

"That's enough out of you, young lady." Edward snapped at his daughter. "I won't have you taking the fall for Helga."

"I'M NOT TAKING THE FALL FOR HER I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!" Ryan screamed, rising onto her feet.

Ryan's outburst left Helga smirking, Millie horrified, and William, Ryan's older brother, grinning from eat to ear.

Edward scowled, "We have clearly given you too much freedom."

Before he could finish, Helga spoke up. "You haven't given us _any _freedom! If we had freedom then why would we do this?"

"Clearly you leave us no choice." Edward snarled.

"You have plenty of choice!" Ryan bellowed at her father. "You can choose to accept us despite the fact that you hate us the way we are or you can choose to disown us! Either option sounds great to me!"

Millie turned on Helga, "Look at what you've done to his daughter! You've turned her into you!"

Before Helga could speak up, William interjected, "Actually, madame, that's just the way that Ryan is. Has been since she was a kid."

"Stop standing up for her, William." Edward snapped at his son.

"If I don't then no one will!" William retorted.

Soon, Millie, Edward, and William were in a screaming match. Helga sighed and buried her face into Ryan's shoulder. Ryan sighed and rested her head against Helga's.

Helga wished that she'd had a chance to tell Arnold goodbye, but her grandmother had made it a point to threaten calling the authorities.

The girls were caught up in their heads so when they heard Millie and Edward's decision they were both up on their feet abruptly, simultatiously shouting 'What?"

Millie scowled at them. "We're sending you both to an elite ladies prepatory academy in England."

Helga's jaw hit the ground. "A prep school? You're kidding right?"

Millie's nose wrinked, "Definitely not, young lady. Now both of you get to your rooms."

Helga and Ryan reluctantly turned to walk away. Ryan uttered, "I can't do this."

Slowly, a smile found Helga's face. "Neither can I."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Arnold looked sullen and depressed as he stumbled into the dining room for breakfast. He was pulled out of his daze when his dad sharply jabbed his shoulder.

"Huh?" Arnold managed to say.

Miles frowned at his son. "I think you should go into the living room."

Arnold sighed, but did as his father said. He found his mother on the couch, patting the seat next to her, indicating that he should join her. He sighed and obeyed. At first he ignored what was on the screen, observing who else was in the room. Mr. Potts was sitting on the floor next to the coffee table, grandpa was in the armchair with Gerdie leaning over the back. It wasn't until the reporter said Helga's name that he started paying attention.

The woman on screen said _"That was Millicent Franklin on the disappearance of her granddaughter, Helga Pataki, and Ryan Jane. The girls were last seen in the Franklin's chateau last night. Miss Franklin and Lord Jane are offering quite a reward for the return of the girls. Miss Franklin and Lord Jane are certain that the girls were kidnapped, but the police haven't ruled out other options yet."_

Arnold laughed full heartedly, drawing the attention of the rest of the boarders. He knew Helga and Ryan well enough to know they had run away and he knew their gaurdians well enough to not be opposed to the idea.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"We look ridiculous." Helga muttered as she readjusted her fake lip ring.

Ryan ran her fingers through her new jet black tresses as she put another coat of dark red lipstick. "We look the part." Ryan cleared her throat and repeated herself, trying to sound american, but not doing the best job.

Helga smirked. "You're getting better. And I guess you're right. The media is looking for two prim and proper girls now…us." Helga turned her head and ran her fingers over the buzzed side of her head.

"Exactly." Ryan stated. "And I've got us a job interview so we'll be fine."

Helga flipped her hot pink and black locks over her shoulder and joined Ryan at the mirror, painting on some eyeliner. "A job interview, huh? Doing what? Pole dancing?"

Ryan smiled and shook her head. "YOu'll see."

**I'm sorry this is so short and took so long….please don't hate me. **


End file.
